


Incendium

by ZarahXan



Category: Shaman King (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Angst, Drabble, Fascination with one of the elements of nature, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:54:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25964704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZarahXan/pseuds/ZarahXan
Summary: He remembers how he used to hate fire, because it reminded him of the day he lost everything...
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8





	Incendium

**Author's Note:**

> In which Hao comes to take the saying of “Fighting fire with fire” rather literally.

He remembered that he used to hate fire. It used to remind him of the day he lost everything. Everything that made life bearable. The flames of hatred swept his home, and in the end he was left with nothing but ashes.

He remembers hiding within the bushes and rocks. He remembers fire crackling and wood and straw giving way and crashing down. He remembers smoke filling his lungs and the ringing in his ears that he wished was loud enough to block the painful screams and the cruel laughter.

He remembers running as far and as fast as he could. He remembers collapsing in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by creatures others couldn’t see.

He remembers crying, as he soundlessly and wordlessly cursed the world. He remembers how helpless he was all throughout. “Demon Fox child”, that’s what they called him... Douji Asaha wished he truly was one. Maybe it would’ve prevented any of that from happening at all...

_So Small..._

Then, he realized that fire was no enemy. It was neutral; it was nature. It bore no favorites or biases because it simply did what it was made to do. It gave heat, it gave life and could take it away. All things good and evil, beautiful and ugly, burned and gave away in its flames. He concluded that it was not fire that was to blame, but the one who’d wield it.

He’s seen it used for better things in his life. Things like keeping warm during cold nights without shelter. Or helping him cook food to eat. Providing light in dark places...

His mind would often wonder if he also chose this element simply to spite the ones who used it against him before. His heart, though nowadays cold and encased in stone, would say yes.

_So Small..._

He knew he could not wallow in grief and pain forever, so he took it and made it into his weapon. Thanks to everything he knew and would come to know of the world, he knew of all it’s impurities and faults. Society continued to bathe itself in shallow needs and superficialities, only allowing greed and corruption to grow in its garden of lies. To him, they were weeds—so the only sensible option was to destroy it all...

_So Small..._

He watched the fire as it swirled and waved about in its destructive dance. He watched as his targets scream and writhe about, helpless against his power. He only continued to smile. People would call him a monster, but he was simply doing what he thought he needed to do.

Fire could give and take life away. Fire could burn away impurity. So he would set out to purify the world. Asakura Hao was no longer that helpless young boy, now he was and would be king.

The flames of hatred would sweep humanity, and in the end they would know what it felt like to be left in nothing but ashes...


End file.
